Generating gnotobiotic bivalves: a new method on Manila clam (<i>Ruditapes philippinarum</i>).

ABSTRACT: Understanding how microbiomes influence the physiology of animal hosts requires detailed mechanistic insights, often obtained through gnotobiological approaches. Model organisms are central to this research, offering key advantages such as experimental tractability, reproducibility, and ease of manipulation. However, there is a lack of established gnotobiotic models for the marine environment-especially for bivalves, which play a critical role in ecosystem functioning. This gap is particularly important in the context of climate change, where harnessing microbiome resilience could mitigate environmental challenges and enhance host responses. In this study, we present a protocol to generate microbiome-depleted and gnotobiotic clams (Ruditapes philippinarum), one of the most widely fa

SUBMITTER: Gallo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12506633 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature